2023 Best Religious Studies Colleges for Veterans in the Southeast Region
14
Ranked Colleges
2,005
Degrees Awarded
$29,500
Avg Cost*
With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Religion” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 9,470 people earned their degree in religious studies, making the major the 90th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, religious studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,289 and had an average of $24,431 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southeast region, there were 2,005 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,841 and $25,705 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Religion” ranking looked at 14 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in religious studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent religious studies programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the religious studies program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Religious Studies Schools
The religion school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Religion”.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Religion
The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region vets studying religion.
Top 14 Best Religious Studies Colleges for Veterans in the Southeast Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Religion list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 26 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNC Chapel Hill, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 30,092 students enrolled at UNC Chapel Hill, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UNC Chapel Hill Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Religion that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Florida landed the #2 spot on the list. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s religion degrees to 15 students in 2020-2021.
UF also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 53,372 students enrolled at University of Florida were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Florida Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Liberty University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Religion list. Liberty University is a large school located in Lynchburg, Virginia that handed out 801 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Liberty University also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 93,349 students enrolled at Liberty University, 13,282 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 8,897 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,888. In addition to receiving other benefits, 386 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Liberty University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Liberty University]](/colleges/liberty-university/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Florida State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Religion list. Florida State is a public institution located in Tallahassee, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Florida State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 43,569 students enrolled at Florida State, 8 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 8 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,819. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Florida State offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Read More…
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Religion. University of Virginia is a public institution located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 66 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Virginia, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 25,628 students enrolled at University of Virginia, 3 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read More…
Duke University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Religion ranking. Duke is a fairly large school located in Durham, North Carolina that handed out 22 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Duke also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Duke supports 16,172 students, and 36 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 9 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,387. To help with additional expenses, 8 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Duke Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #7, University of North Carolina at Charlotte did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Religion list. UNC Charlotte is a large public school situated in Charlotte, North Carolina. It awarded 30 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region vets studying religion list, UNC Charlotte has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 30,146 students enrolled at UNC Charlotte, 1,476 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 642 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,691. On top of their other funding sources, 13 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UNC Charlotte does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read More…
Florida International University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Religion list. Florida International University is a public institution located in Miami, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
FIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 58,836 students enrolled at FIU, 1,079 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 606 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,771. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Florida International University Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #9, Georgia State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Religion list. This large school is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and it awarded 13 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
Georgia State also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, Georgia State supports 36,360 students, and 1,873 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 662 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,934. During this same period, 2 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Georgia State does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
Saint Leo University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Religion ranking. Saint Leo, Florida is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s religion degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.
St. Leo University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 9,832 students enrolled at Saint Leo University, 8 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,916. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Saint Leo University]](/colleges/saint-leo-university/student-life/veterans/)
Gardner - Webb University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Religion ranking, coming in at #11. Gardner - Webb University is a small school located in Boiling Springs, North Carolina that handed out 15 ’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southeast region vets studying religion list, Gardner - Webb has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 3,536 students enrolled at Gardner - Webb, 138 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 54 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,551. During this same period, 21 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Gardner - Webb University Veteran Student Life Report
Carson - Newman University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Religion ranking, coming in at #12. Jefferson City, Tennessee is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s religion degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Carson - Newman, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 2,911 students enrolled at Carson - Newman, 98 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 60 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $11,328. In addition to receiving other benefits, 4 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
With a ranking of #13, Vanderbilt University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Religion list. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 16 diplomas to qualified ’s religion students in 2020-2021.
Vanderbilt also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, Vanderbilt supports 13,537 students, and 13 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 3 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,769. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Vanderbilt Veteran Student Life Report
Emory University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Religion ranking. Emory University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Emory did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 13,997 students enrolled at Emory University were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Emory]](/colleges/emory-university/student-life/veterans/)
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Sowlos.
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